This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Tempers flared Saturday when the NDP provincial council blocked an investigation into a July Scarborough nomination won by a former Toronto councillor.

Bitter feelings remain among some NDP members following a meeting Saturday in which NDP provincial council blocked an investigation into a July Scarborough-Guildwood nomination that was won by former Toronto councillor Adam Giambrone. (Lucas Oleniuk / Toronto Star file photo)

Joy Taylor, a 90-year-old lifelong member of the NDP, waits after being barred Saturday from the NDP provincial council meeting. Taylor tore up her provincial party card in frustration following a controversial NDP nomination meeting in Scarborough-Guildwood in July.
(Richard J. Brennan / Toronto Star) | Order this photo

Tempers flared Saturday when NDP provincial council blocked an investigation into a July Scarborough-Guildwood nomination won by former Toronto councillor Adam Giambrone.

“You are all cowards,” said 90-year-old Joy Taylor, who along with other riding executive members has maintained that several ineligible members were allowed to vote, giving the two-person race to Giambrone, a last- minute entry.

An Aug. 1 byelection was held in Scarborough-Guildwood as well as four other riding across the province. Liberal candidate Mitzie Hunter won the Scarborough-Guildwood byelection; Giambrone came in third.

Taylor, who tore up her provincial NDP membership in the summer after a lifetime of volunteering for the party, was barred from attending the provincial council, despite the fact, she says, that she has a lifetime federal NDP membership.

Article Continued Below

After party secretary Darlene Lawson’s report assured delegates everything about the nomination was above board, a call for an independent probe into the results was ruled out of order.

“I am very disappointed,” Viresh Raghubeer, president of the NDP’s Scarborough-Guildwood Riding Association, told the Star.

“We are confident that things need to be investigated further and we needed further proof as to what happened at the nomination meeting,” he said, later adding, “whenever you try to speak about democracy (in the party) you are demonized.”

Giambrone, who left the 2010 Toronto mayor’s race of over a sex and lies scandal, was actually on a selection committee that picked Amarjeet Kaur Chhabra, a young woman who immigrated from India and overcame childhood polio, to run for the nomination but Giambrone decided at the last minute to declare his own candidacy.

Neethan Shan, president of the Ontario New Democratic Party, said “this matter is definitely over” because “the nomination meeting followed all the rules,” a position supported by the majority of the delegates to the provincial council meeting.

“The Executive Committee has reviewed the Scarborough-Guildwood nomination meeting and is satisfied that the meeting was conducted fairly and in accordance with both the Ontario NDP Constitution and established Party practices and procedures. All those who voted were entitled to do so,” stated a motion overwhelmingly ratified by the delegates behind closed doors.

Shan said the dispute was looked into by a lawyer who declared all the people who cast ballots were indeed eligible to do so. He promised to either make the lawyer’s report available or have the lawyer speak to reporters. Despite repeated requests, neither was provided.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she is aware some people continue to be unhappy.

“I would only hope that they can find their way back into being good New Democrat supporters and activists,” Horwath said.

“The work that they do is respected. We don’t always agree on everything but that’s why we have these . . . party delegate debates and we allow people to have at the issues and that’s what we did today,” she said.

Looking tiny sitting on an overstuffed couch at the Sheraton Centre, Taylor appeared near tears. She remains convinced that the vote was rigged given she could not confirm the names or addresses of most of the last-minute voters.

“What I did in good faith as an honest member of the NDP has fallen by the wayside. It is swept under the carpet,” she said, adding she didn’t take on this fight for notoriety.

“I did it for the love of the party. . . . I can’t tell you how highly, highly disappointed I am. I weep today.”

Raghubeer said the only alternative left for his riding association is to get the issue on the agenda for next year’s party convention. But he fears there is a move afoot to kick him and other riding executive members out of the party before that happens.

The socialist caucus, which is not officially recognized by the NDP, later held a meeting to talk about other incidents where the party brass big-footed local nomination meetings.

“This is a massive betrayal,” Wendy Whittham, a member of the Scarborough-Guildwood riding executive, told the small gathering.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com